Meet Kernita Heard | Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kernita Heard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kernita, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Almost August was initially something I did outside of my corporate job. As it grew, my desire to see what it could become grew too. My client load during the pandemic, at work, was very heavy and I was becoming incredibly unhappy in that space. This was when I went to God and took the biggest leap of faith in life. I quit my job and worked solely on Almost August. It was fulfilling to finally be completely present with my children and my husband, who were all very supportive with this new journey. To sum it up, I didn’t want life to pass me by without trying to live out a dream that lived in my heart.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’m most proud of our handcrafted products. We limit and sometimes eliminate the use of preservatives and skin drying agents in our recipes as our products are made in small batches. For example, the norm is to purchase soaps from large stores, however it isn’t common knowledge that those ‘soaps’ are actually classified as detergents. We enjoy not only providing shea butter, skin loving soap bars but also sharing our knowledge with our customers so that they can make informed decisions on what they use on their skin. Getting to this point was not easy and came with months of research, sharing products with friends and getting feedback, and several walks back to the drawing board to perfect what we were working on. This journey has taught me that perfection takes time and occasionally a lot more time than anticipated but you have to believe that you are fully capable of attaining the goals you set for yourself.

In addition to our products we offer Candle Making classes. The concept is that we bring candle making to you, so no need to beat this Texas heat. We bring in several fragrance options and candle jar options for you to chose from and create your own custom candle. Each person makes two candles, one wood wick and one cotton wick candle and we teach you not only the process of candle making but the best way to care for candles and offer a q&a as well. This has kept us very busy this summer as we offer Candle Making as a workplace team building event, to celebrate baby showers, bridal showers and other events as well.

What would I want the world to know about my brand and my journey? I’d like to share that if you’re able to support the high end brands, you can support a small business because we offer quality products. Often, as a small business owner you hear, “I can get this cheaper elsewhere” or “this is expensive”. Please believe that what we offer is not made from materials that are of poor quality because most times we cannot afford to even purchase low-end bulk materials. We give customers our best because we truly want to. Being a small business owner is often a choice. We chose to engage our community. We chose to sponsor local schools and sports teams. We really are here to grow the economy that we too rely on.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My store is Downtown Conroe and because I live nearby, I would stick to this area for the weekend. I would start at one of two coffee spots: Blue Willow Coffee in Willis or Kofe Num Pang downtown Conroe. Once we’re caffeinated we would browse some of the locally owned stores in the area like Small Town Famous and Sweet Texas Treasures. Lunch would definitely be at McKenzie’s Barbeque & Burgers; you can’t do Texas without barbeque! Our evening wind down would be at the BE Winery Lounge on Main, which I vote the best in wine and atmosphere.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Crying, not crying but Janice Parish is the first person that comes to mind. Janice owns the building that houses my store and one morning over coffee my really good friend Farrah told me that there was a space for rent and that I should chat with Janice, the owner, about getting my store in there. I was not even looking for a store front, regardless I drove over to meet with Janice. I explained to her that I was really green and had never owned a brick and mortar before. From that moment on, she has walked me through every aspect of managing my store. Imagine, she didn’t just take the chance to rent to me, she also has been guiding me through being successful. She’s a woman of faith, grace and extensive business savvy.

Website: www.almostaugust.shop

Instagram: seeyouinaugust

Facebook: seeyouinaugust

Youtube: Living in August